Going on a Permanent Honeymoon

May 2018

HAYWOOD COUNTY

David and Annie Haslam Colquitt are purchasing The Swag from owners Dan and Deener Matthews. The Matthewses purchased the 250 acres outside of Waynesville in 1969 as a second family home and a church retreat. They opened as an inn in 1982, when Knoxville accommodations were selling out for the World’s Fair. The Swag consists of the main house and hand-hewn log cabins and cottages. The fourteen rooms and suites have private balconies, wood-burning stone fireplaces, steam showers, and décor furnished by local crafters, past and present. Fine dining and outdoor programs have won the inn multiple acclaims in travel publications. The Colquitt and Matthews families are longtime friends. David and Annie stayed at the inn on their honeymoon seven years ago and fell in love with the place. They asked the other couple to let them know if they ever wanted to sell. Now that the Matthewses are in their 80s and ready to retire in Asheville, the Colquitts will hire a general manager and learn the ropes in their first season. They are happy their children will grow up next door to a national park as they learn how to take care of people in the hospitality business. They want to preserve the inn as it is, down to the Swag bars and complimentary walking stick souvenirs. For now, the only thing they say they will change is the linen.